2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Long-Term Verdict

For years, stateside driving enthusiasts were tortured by overseas reports touting the Impreza WRX, the turbocharged rally-winning machine from Japan. When it finally was offered to the American market in 2002, Subaru single-handedly launched a vehicle niche.

What's so special about the WRX? It's a sedan about the size of a Honda Civic--but with almost twice the horsepower, all-wheel drive, and sophisticated suspension derived from the FIA World Rally Championship race cars. Nothing else on the market could touch it for the money, though Mitsubishi tapped into the street-legal rally-car pool with the Lancer Evolution series, and so did Volkswagen (in a spiritual sense) with the one-year-only R32. To keep the Joneses at bay, Subaru issued the Impreza WRX STi in 2004. Subaru Technica International upped the engine's output and displacement and McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens penned an updated exterior--and an even better, maximum-strength WRX was born complete with an adjustable center differential.

Standard equipment on our $31,545 tester included a turbocharged 2.5-liter, 300-horse horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, gaping intercooler scoop through the aluminum hood, a six-speed manual transmission, all-wheel drive with driver-selectable fore/aft torque adjustment, front and rear limited-slip differentials, and dual-front and front-passenger-side airbags. To that we added only rubber floormats and an AM/FM/CD audio system--trick equipment for a daily driver, and, despite its race-car roots, that's the first surprise the STi sprang on us.

The suspension, though taut and nimble, offered an almost posh ride. One-handed driving wasn't a problem, with little fear of the bump-steer demon that lives in the Mitsu Evo. In fact, the STi featured some of the best steering, with one curiosity: When pointing the car through a bend with constant steering input, planting the throttle inclined the car to go wide of the corner, and lifting would dive it into the arc. It didn't matter if it was a left or right corner, it'd do this in either direction. Unlike a front-drive car, this wasn't torque steer, as that tendency goes only one way. We're confident this throttle-induced attitude adjustment was built into the race-bred chassis--we found it particularly useful on one of the several visits the STi made to a racetrack.

Another race-spec item all club racers should have is the STi's programmable shift indicator light and chime. In the heat of battle, the ability to not have to look at tach shift points is invaluable; rather, just set the reminder a few hundred rpm short of the 7000-rpm redline and let your ears do the rev-spotting for you.

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It didn't take long for the WRX's logbook to fill with gratuitous hyperbole: "Who needs coffee when you've got this adrenaline supply in your garage?" "The term 'amazing' doesn't even begin to describe the STi's driving experience," and "High performance on sale!" No car in recent Motor Trend history has generated such passionate gushing as the STi.

There were a few quibbles. When the tires began wearing, road noise and harshness crept into the cabin. After the brakes had been used at a track outing, a squeaky pad was fixed at the dealer. And, believe it or not, some people didn't care for the peculiar thumping flat-four engine note--it reminded them of an old Volkswagen Beetle somebody had massaged. To each his own, but there's no arguing with the car's stellar performance. In fact, the STi got quicker as the tires wore, allowing more wheelspin on the launch: 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds; quarter mile in 13.2 seconds at 102.9 mph; average speed through the slalom at 69.1 mph; and an impressive figure-eight lap time of 25.7 seconds at 0.71g average. Of course, driving a high-performance car as it should be doesn't result in favorable mileage. Our annual average 17 mpg was shy of the optimistic 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway economy the EPA supplies.

Can one have all this performance and comfort, too? No problem. One six-foot-plus staffer picked up two of his equally large buddies for a Sunday golf outing, and they all fit--with their golf bags. The attractive two-tone seats were snug and reassuring, but some felt the low-buck roots of the Impreza donor car shone through where the rest of the materials were concerned. Still, there were no unusually worn or worn-out surfaces or switches. Even the alumitone-painted plastic withstood a year of hard use.

At around 1500 miles on the odometer, we encountered a finicky A/C system and trunk release. A trip to the dealer got us back on the road gratis with recharged refrigerant and an adjusted latch, both covered under warranty. When 3000 miles rolled around, our first scheduled maintenance for an oil and filter change cost us $38.62. By the time our 7500-mile service was due, the steering wheel had gone out of alignment; a lube, oil-and-filter change, and tire rotation plus alignment totaled $38.07.

When all was said and done, our STi had served us well, shuttling us to and from work and around a racetrack or two. Sure, we could've earned better fuel economy while conserving our tires, but why? Yes, the interior could use sprucing, but what do you expect for what's effectively a race car priced at $31,545? When it comes to performance for the dollar without sacrificing comfort, plus the low cost of ownership and all-weather capabilities, we can't name a better car than the Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Now, if we could just convince Subaru there's a market in the U.S. for the 316-horse Impreza WRX STi WR1--because a great car always needs more horsepower and letters.

What's Not• It gobbles up tires (driven as we do)• Some wish interior were more special• We wish fuel economy were better, but with this kind of scoot, whaddaya expect?

Don't Miss• Programmable shift indicator

Bottom Line• Despite our best efforts to beat on the car mercilessly, it begged for more and never failed us once

From The Logbook"Hopped out of the Evo and into the STi, and my first thought was, 'a kinder, gentler kick in the ass.' This Subaru has twice the civility of the Mitsu. It's possible to drive it every day without falling into the shallow end of the boost. "--Thomas Voehringer

"I never tire of this car, and it never fails to reinvigorate my passion for driving. Much as in the same way a Porsche feels like it was conceived, designed, and built by drivers for drivers, the STi excites the same pleasure lobes in my brain. "--Chris Walton

"The five-speed in the WRX makes it a buzzy. This six-speed makes freeway speeds far more liveable. The engine is a jewel, and I can feel the the diff doing its thing when I'm working the car hard--especially on uneven pavement when traction varies with the road surface. "--Matt Stone